election of chairman

election of vice-chairman

record of thanks - farm visits

The Chairman thanked Messrs Attwood, Gaskain and Leigh-Pemberton for the recent farm visit by members of the Forum.

confirmation of kent county council member

The Chairman confirmed that Kent County Councillor Keith Ferrin was the representative on the Forum from Kent County Council.

minutes

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 14th April 2009 (Minute Nos. 828 - 834) were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

declarations of interest

No interests were declared.

public session

There was no discussion on this item.

part b minutes for information

change to the order of business

The Chairman altered the order of business, as Minuted.

lorry parking issues

The Chairman introduced this item and reported that there had been lorry parking issues on the slip road at Gate Services, Dunkirk. A Member explained that he believed notices had been put up and the situation had been resolved.

RESOLVED:

(1) That a representative from the Police and a Member from Kent County Council be invited to the next meeting of the Forum to give an update on the lorry parking issues at Gate Services, Dunkirk. Chairman

leysdown flood boards

The Chairman brought the Forum's attention to the tabled paper from the Head of Environment and Amenities which provided an update on the operation of the flood boards which formed part of the sea defences in Leysdown, following a request from Leysdown Parish Council that one set of flood boards be operated locally.

Discussion ensued on the effects on local residents and holiday makers when the flood gates were closed, which limited their access to the beach. A Member explained that it was essential to have the gates shut when the tides were especially high. The Ward Member acknowledged the need for the gates to be shut during these times, but suggested that it would be helpful if there was a key available to open the gates at other times, especially at half term in October when the gates were shut.

The Chairman brought attention to Action No. 3 in the report and advised that he had previously opened and closed the gates responsibly.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the report be noted.

(2) That it be recommended that following further discussions with the Environment Agency, the outcome of the discussions be reported to the Swale Rural Forum. Head of Environment and Amenities

the state of the roads in swale

The Chairman welcomed the Community Delivery Team Leader (Kent Highway Services) to the meeting.

The Community Delivery Team Leader reported that the roads in Swale were a lot better than other roads in Kent. He explained that a survey was carried out annually to determine which roads needed attention.

A Member suggested that rural roads in Swale needed repairing as they had been damaged throughout the winter by frozen ice which led to an excessive amount of potholes. Damage was also caused to the surface and side of roads by large vehicles travelling on the country lanes. With regard to flash flooding, he suggested that attention be given to clearing gullies.

The Community Delivery Team Leader advised that most of the winter potholes had now been repaired and the roads were now being patched. He reported that this may mean closure of smaller roads as they were not wide enough for the work to be carried out without closure. With regard to maintenance of gullies, he advised that even if a gully was clear, flash floods in an area could still cause problems as the capacity to contain all water was difficult.

The Community Delivery Team Leader advised the Forum of the process that was carried out when a pot hole was repaired. The full process was time consuming and a Member suggested that quality of the repair was preferred, rather than the quantity of repaired pot holes. The Community Delivery Team Leader reported that the amount of pot holes following last winter had been excessive and that it was necessary to attend to them as soon as possible. This meant, because of time restraints, that some were temporarily filled.

A KALC representative suggested that in areas where there were numerous potholes, a strategy for putting down a new surface was implemented. He queried the time lapse between reporting a pot hole and it being repaired and asked why there were so many different colours of tarmac.

The Community Delivery Team Leader advised that white lines were drawn around a pot hole when a defect had been detected. It was not always possible to repair a pot hole adequately if the pot hole was not deep enough. The pothole would then be watched and repaired properly. He reported that there were three colours of tarmac and more colours resulted over time when the tarmac became bleached.

A Member welcomed the work that had been done on the A249 but raised concern with the state of the roundabouts. The Community Delivery Team Leader advised that KHS had recently taken over responsibility for the roundabouts and sponsorship was being looked into for their maintenance costs.

The Community Delivery Team Leader explained that a jet patcher machine squirted liquid onto a road and enabled a road with surface problems to become more regulated.

In response to a question, the Community Delivery Team Leader advised that KHS had a duty of care to co-ordinate any works being carried out on a road at the same time. There were two acts of Parliament in place to ensure that the impact of any road works from utility companies was kept to a minimum. He advised that this was not always possible to do as sometimes not much notice was given when smaller works by utilities companies was being carried out. KHS had started to charge utility companies when they opened the road up and offered discounts to them when work was carried out at the same time.

A member of the public asked what happened if a utility company dug up the highway and the repair failed. The Community Delivery Team Leader advised that the finished reinstatement would be checked and if it failed and a vehicle was damaged as a result, there may be grounds to claim against both the utility company and/or the highway authority, depending upon the circumstances.

A Member reminded the Forum of a machine that had been discussed at a Forum meeting which prevented roads being lifted by the frost. The Community Delivery Team Leader advised that he would look into this.

Community Delivery Team Leader

action plan

The Regeneration Projects Officer introduced her report which outlined the timescales, targets and next steps, progress and outcomes of the key themes within the Swale Rural Forum.

Some Members raised concern that the absence of the Community Safety Officer limited the knowledge that the Forum would have about issues that came out from the PACT meetings. A Member suggested that the Local Engagement Forums were methods of liaising throughout the Borough.

A Member raised concern that Parish Councils were not always aware of agenda and issues coming up. She was reminded that Parish Councils could receive information and raise any issues through the KALC, and that meeting dates were on the Swale website.

Discussion ensued on the membership of the Rural Forum. Representation from the Kent Wildlife Trust and Medway Drainage Board were suggested.

information item - update northern relief road

RESOLVED:

(1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Chairman request that the Swale Rural Forum be included in the consultation process for the Northern Relief Road. Chairman

information item - rural forum for the south east

No minutes were submitted.

information item - planning applications

Members discussed this item and raised concern with the situation that might occur if an application was granted and building commenced and then stopped at the foundation stage. They considered the area could then become unsightly. A Member, in his capacity as Chairman of SBC's Planning Committee, advised that in extreme cases, enforcement action could be implemented.

information item - broadband in rural areas

information item - sittingbourne regeneration - emergency response times

future venue

Suggestions included Borden and Newington.

RECOMMENDED:
(1) That a venue to the west of Sittingbourne be looked into.

Democratic Services Officer